New effort launched to catch 'East Coast Rapist'

New Haven, Conn (WTNH) - The FBI and local police agencies in four states, including Connecticut, are using a new tool to find a serial rapist.

A billboard on I-91 in New Haven flashes images of the man police say is connected to the rape of several women in four states including Connecticut.

"Hopefully someone will see the composite given by another victim in another state and may bring someone to realize they know the person and give information," said Lieutenant Julie Johnson from the New Haven Police Department.

Among the crimes, a 2007 attack on a woman at an apartment complex on Smith Avenue in New Haven. Learn more about that attack here.

John lives with his wife, just a few hundred yards down from the apartments, and is troubled that the suspect remains on the loose.

"There are a lot of married couples around here. A lot, especially down that way. Younger couples," John Capece from New Haven said.

Police say the victims were black, white, and hispanic.

According to authorities, the suspect has been known to wear a black mask or hooded sweatshirt, and has approached his victims on foot, or at times, riding a bike.

In addition to the billboards that are up in all four of the states where the attacks occurred, the Fairfax County police department in Virginia has set up a website for people with information that could help lead to an arrest. The website is eastcoastrapist.com

The FBI says 39 cases have been solved thanks to tips resulting from those digital billboards.